Graphic Design/3D Animation Workstation [Build Advice]

[squimms]

Hey All, Very impressive community here.

I’m in the process of building my first PC. I’m a Graphic Designer/3D Animator looking to get some approval/general advice if the build list I’ve put together will be adequate for my needs.

I am not an expert on hardware. My area of expertise is limited to the software side. I have a loaded HP Z820 workstation where I work and I know I can’t come close to matching those specs with my budget – I just want to be able to navigate through my programs with decent viewport speed. Quick rendering and the ability to play games at decent settings is a bonus. After reading through the forums, I have decided against workstation specific graphics cards due mostly to cost.

Primary usage:

Adobe CS6 [CC soon] - specifically After Effects, Photoshop & Illustrator
Cinema 4D [Faster viewport speeds takes priority over fast rendering]

Secondary usage:

Gaming! I don’t need top-of-the-line performance but squeezing out all the quality I can in my budget would be great.
Maya & Nuke [Don’t have these currently but may purchase in the near future]

Here’s my specs so far. Thoughts? Please let me know if I’ve left out any relevant info. Any feedback is GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Budget: Roughly $2,000 [including at least one monitor]

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Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
G.Skill Value 32GB (4x8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5” Solid State Drive
Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5” 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card
Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition Mid Tower Case
EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Asus DRW-24B1st/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0” Monitor

 

[sadams04]

Not bad...

MB - Changed to an ASUS offering (also a little cheaper)
SSD - The Samsung 850 EVO will give you a little better performance. Either the Crucial or Samsung are perfectly fine.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X99M Killer Micro ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($213.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Value 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($102.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.94 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($111.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($139.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($402.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2100.39


Also, consider a non-overclocking setup. It will fair very will with your goals as well...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($81.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($177.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($139.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($402.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1674.25

 

[squimms]

Wow, thanks for the quick response!

Just out of curiosity, why did you choose this specific ASUS MB? It's probably my lack of knowledge in this area but I can't tell what benefits it has over the MSI offering.

As for the Xeon setup, I don't intend to OC with the i7 setup right away, but I am definitely interested in tinkering once I get used to everything.

 

[sadams04]

Just out of curiosity, why did you choose this specific ASUS MB? It's probably my lack of knowledge in this area but I can't tell what benefits it has over the MSI offering.

Personal preference and first hand dealings with manufacturers. The MSI board you chose is fine, but I typically look toward ASUS, Gigabyte and ASRock (in that order) before turning to MSI or EVGA. ...unless there is a really good deal to be had.

As for the Xeon setup, I don't intend to OC with the i7 setup right away, but I am definitely interested in tinkering once I get used to everything.

Ok. Keep in mind that you are spending a few hundred more on a feature (overclocking) that you may never see the benefit from.